The Harvest Begins!

The tomatoes are ripening, the onions are curing and the peppers are ready to pick. I'm taking my annual "stay-cation" this week, and the first batch of salsa jsut came out of the canner. The recipe is below.

I'm also making tomato sauce (for pasta and pizza), pesto and pico de gallo this week.

I need another pantry closet!



Jeanne's Salsa Picante

24 roma tomatoes, peeled and diced
12 jalapeno peppers, seeds removed and diced
3-4 onions, diced
1 cup corn kernels
2 heaping tsp minced garlic
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp salt
1 tsp black pepper
2 tsp green chili seasoning (available online at heartofthedesert.com)
2 tsp cilantro
1 Tbs ancho chili powder
2 Tbs ground cumin

To peel the tomatoes, use a strainer to dip them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Cool the tomatoes slightly and the skins will peel off easily.

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and simmer 4 to 5 hours, covered. Before canning, simmer uncovered 1 to 2 hours to reduce the water content a bit.

Enjoy!

Garden Update

We probably had the rainiest July in many, many years here in Rochester. As a result my little backyard garden patch is exploding at the beginning of August! I just picked the first ripe tomatoes this afternoon. (Actually, there were three on a vine close to the ground that were ripe a couple of days ago, but the chipmunks living under the deck got to them.)

The first batch of tomatoes will probably go to the food cupboard at Third Presbyterian next week.

The poblano and jalapeno peppers will begin to ripen in a few more days. I think the onions will be a few more weeks - this is my first try at these. The rosemary, basil and cilantro has been going gangbusters for a while, and has already made appearances in several dishes.

I can't wait to begin making salsa, pasta sauce, pesto and - my favorite - cream of poblano soup!